[UPDATE: Miss Universe has launched an investigation into claims made by contestants after The Post’s report and Miss USA has denied the contest was “rigged.”]
Have been Miss USA pageant-goers miss-led this yr?
“Humiliated” contestants declare the 2022 Miss USA pageant was “rigged” and that the winner of the competition, Miss Texas R’Bonney Gabriel, was predetermined — or so say theories circulating TikTok, which declare nobody had a “honest probability.”
Miss Montana Heather Lee O’Keefe fired up the rumor mill on-line following the competition on Monday, when Gabriel, 28, was topped — which made her the first Filipina American to win the Miss USA title. She’s additionally the first Asian American contestant to earn the Miss Texas USA state title.
“Many of the Miss USA contestants really feel very strongly that there was favoritism in direction of Miss Texas USA and we've the receipts to show it,” O’Keefe claimed in a TikTok video with over 29,000 views.
Miss New York Heather Nunez wrote on her private account’s Instagram Tales that she was “humiliated” and thought everybody had a “honest probability.”
“I'm misplaced for phrases,” she wrote. “The best way I entered this pageant and gave it each final little bit of my coronary heart and soul… We have been humiliated, considering we entered one thing with a good probability.”
Nunez stated she’s “not right here to create a sob story” and stated individuals “don’t must imagine what we're saying.”
“The ONLY motive I'm talking up is to forestall future contestants from feeling the way in which that I do,” she wrote. “For all of the little women who watch Miss USA with the identical goals I had of working onerous to be in that place. You deserve a good probability.”
Miss USA and Gabriel didn't instantly reply to The Submit’s request for remark.
Speculations swirled as quickly as Gabriel was topped and the opposite 50 girls swiftly exited the stage, as seen within the telecast. As compared, fellow rivals sometimes stay onstage in the course of the crowning moments.
On high of that, Miss Texas didn’t appear stunned at her large win within the slightest, O’Keefe claimed, since most Miss USA winners are shocked upon listening to their title.
Former Miss USA contestant Jasmine Jones claimed that it was “apparent” one thing was “off” concerning the crowning second, sharing clips from earlier competitions and years the place fellow rivals rush to congratulate the winner.
However suspiciously, that didn't occur this yr, she famous.
“Not considered one of them stays onstage to congratulate her or to run and hug her,” Jones stated of this yr’s pageant in a TikTok sequence with over 3 million views. “In my 10 years of pageantry, I’ve by no means seen contestants stroll off the stage and never congratulate the woman that’s gained.”
“Fairly probably the one Miss USA in historical past to have her complete class stroll off stage instantly after she was topped,” O’Keefe instructed on-line.
However wait, there’s extra.
As marketed on the Miss USA web site, the winner of Miss USA receives complimentary companies at MIA Plastic Surgical procedure which is affiliated with NIZUC Spa, based on the resort’s web site. However as O’Keefe famous, lower than 24 hours after the pageant aired stay Monday night time, NIZUC Spa posted an Instagram story of Gabriel receiving companies — noting it occurred 9 weeks in the past.
Whereas it’s unclear if it was associated to the pageant, O’Keefe as soon as once more claimed Gabriel’s alleged journey to NIZUC was favoritism since she was provided that “expertise” seemingly earlier than being topped the winner on Monday.
“@MissUSA was topped lower than 24 hours in the past, but she already received her sponsored trip to @NIZUCResort?” O’Keefe blasted the pageant establishment on her Instagram tales. “Are you kidding me? I used to be giving y’all the good thing about the doubt, however that is simply embarrassing at this level.”
The founding father of MIA Beaute, a sponsor of the Miss USA pageant, can also be reportedly a choose within the competitors, O’Keefe claimed, and posted clips of Gabriel on his Instagram tales, additional fueling hypothesis.
“Ever since Miss Texas was topped a pair months in the past, she has been proven favoritism by the Miss USA group via their companies which can be additionally all owned by the identical girl,” O’Keefe claimed.
O’Keefe additionally referenced the president of the Miss USA group, Crystle Stewart, and shared an alleged screenshot of an Instagram story exhibiting Stewart doing Gabriel’s hair. Stewart additionally runs the pageant teaching enterprise Miss Academy.
Gabriel, who was reportedly coached within the Miss Academy previous to her crowning as Miss Texas, was “the one one who was actually featured on their pages being considered one of their shoppers,” O’Keefe claimed, regardless of a number of different contestants working with the Academy.
“To not point out, the precise Miss USA web page reposting Texas on the official Miss USA web page and no different state contestant received this sort of remedy,” O’Keefe stated in a video. “After which they posted a public apology.”
“Y’all don’t inform me you may’t see it,” she stated of the alleged “favoritism.” “Nothing towards Texas as an individual, I actually suppose she may’ve gained honest and sq., however sadly all of this drama has tainted her win. However there’s simply an excessive amount of proof of favoritism to let this go unnoticed.”
Whereas O’Keefe broke down the drama on TikTok the place it shortly went viral, she’s removed from the one one talking out.
Miss Georgia USA Holly Haynes has been re-sharing Instagram tales from a number of of her fellow contestants together with Miss Kentucky USA Lizzy Neutz, Miss New Jersey Alexandra Lakhman, Miss Kansas USA Elyse Noe, Miss Massachusetts Skarlet Ramirez and Miss Virginia USA Kailee Horvath.
O’Keefe additionally shared nameless textual content message screenshots that she claimed have been from her Miss USA group chat, the place fellow girls shared their disappointment and dismay at a system they imagine was rigged towards them.
“I really feel heartbroken for all of the little women who watch Miss USA with the identical goals I had of working onerous to be in that place,” one particular person wrote. “We have been humiliated, considering we entered one thing with a good probability.”
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